Thoughts on 50th Independence Day - Merdeka

Today is Malaysia's 50th Independence Celebration, and as usual we get a day off.

Somehow I don't feel festive at all, as after 50 years we gained independence from the British, we who were suppose to be a big multicultural family are still fighting on with the same topics.

Some recent issues that disturbs me on a day that is worth celebrating:

1. Lim Kit Siang has been pointing out numerous times that our country are build on a constitution that states our country is a Secular society, and not an Islamic Country. Why does our present Prime Minister, as well as the ex Primer Minister kept insisting we are Islamic country, and will be ruled as Islamic Hadhari way?
2. It is also very upset to learn that our forefather that fight hard to built this country with constitution can be removed overnight, when some ex Chief judge has a undying wish to govern the country using Islamic laws as compare to the English common law right now.
3. While we trust MCA and Gerakan will keep on fighting on for our best interest, it seems that lately Chua Soi Lek and Lim Keng Yeik is already fighting among themselves. Are we now to depend on DAP that has never run the country before or what?

and of course there are many more other issues, that even I forget how they irritates me until it get mentioned again and again. Perhaps we might be desensitized with such issues one of these days, instead we shall move on to concentrate how to built a nation that can withstand global challenges at times of unknown like now?

Since that it will be our national election very soon, I have been pondering the fact that does my one vote counts at all? When the fact that still no one come explain openly why there were so many extra voters in Sabah there sudden turn out to vote on the previous election. Perhaps I should vote, because I feel very sorry for that DAP girl that seemed to get bullied by the Kinabatangan moron and the Jasin fellow too.

Well oh well... no celebration for me. Not feeling celebrative at all...

Kota Bharu Food Hunt

Thanks to wmw at http://ugwug.blogspot.com, we have been doing some good food hunting in Kota Bharu this time.

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Restoran 69 - Jalan Dato Pati, right in town center (Close Friday)

One of my biggest found in our trip to Kota Bharu is this Restaurant 69 (Jalan Dato Pati, right in town center). We came a day earlier on Friday only to discover it is closed. Came the next day, only to be welcomed warmly by this Chinese middle aged owner (shame on us for never even find out his name).

Although Nasi Padang (or Nasi Sumatera) is an Indonesian cuisine, it is actually very very common in Kota Bharu.

We sat down, and all the dishes came at once. I tend to think it is a set meal thing. Every table gets the same dishes: There were curry beef chunk, stirr fry beef strips, Curried Mutton knuckle (My favorite!), deep fried chicken tight, some veg, and top it up with a very savory tasting spiced beef bone stock soup. YUM!

The owner is very very proud of the good food served from his restaurant, so much so he kept insisting us to try variety of his dishes, and offered the lightly toasted bread so we can even dip the sauce and eat it all clean!

We love the environment here too, as workers of different ethnic and age work as a team helping to serve the best food to their customers.

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Yati's Ayam Percik - Jalan Long Yunus (Daily 12pm - 11.30pm, Fri 3pm - 11.30pm)

No one leaves Kota Bharu without trying the best ayam percik in town. It is a specially marinated chicken being roast on charcoal flame. When done, a coconut milk based creamy sauce is poured lavishly all over.

At Yati's you order one serving of ayam percik, and then eat with the Nasi Kerabu. Nasi Kerabu eassentially is a white steamed rice, mixed with sort of local garden salad, comprising diced long bean, bean sprout, dry fried grated coconut, and some spice.

Apart from that, you can order the daging bakar too which I strongly recommended as well. Daging Bakar is made out of beef. You can call it a BBQ beef as well, and it usually taste a little salty, with a five spice sort of after taste.

Try come later around 9pm instead, because at dinner and normal weekday lunch time this place is packed! Nonetheless the staffs always seemed patience enough. So it is good.

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Kebun Sultan Hawker Center - Jalan Kebun Sultan

If you are like us, hanging around KB on a Friday afternoon, you will find yourself hungry after rounding for food around the whole town. THIS IS TRUE! 90% of the shops in KB is closed on Friday, perhaps for prayer or so. Even the Chinese restaurant close too.

The only way to get something decent to eat, for us at least, was this Kebun Sultan Hawker Center. Lucky can find food here, otherwise must've died famine. Heh...

Loads of people eat the dim sum in the afternoon, looks a bit like a steamed sushi stuffed with fish meat. It taste alright. They have the indian food stalls here too, nothing too special. Other stalls include Cantonese fried noodles, Fish Ball Noodles, mixed rice, chee cheong fun. Take your pick

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Pantai Cahaya Bulan Eateries - Where else? But the PCB Beach

There is no night club here, no disco as well, mamak (common local open tea kiosk) is mostly unknown here too. Women are rarely seen wandering around after 10pm, so their version of tea place -- Warung, is mostly frequent by men.

But fortunately Pantai Cahaya Bulan beach front is still the one place that still offer a decent hang around at late night. The last time we came, they still serve stir fried stuffs e.g. fried rice, maggie noodle soup in the mid of 2am in the morning!

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Road Side Galore

Road side stalls is a major attraction around here. It is very common with the locals people to simply set up a make shift stand and everyone just sell the same thing along the same stretch of road. Things available along the road to PCB Beach includes this Keropok Losong thingy.

Product includes most famous boiled fish cake made with ground fish meat and tapioca flour. You buy them in newspaper wrapped packet, consisting of 23 small sticks (like churos), around RM5 per packet. Usually I see tourist buy them in 10 packets or so in a go.

When bring home, you can store them into the freezer for later consumption, or deep fried and eat as a snack, together with sweet chili sauce if you please. Highly addictive I warn you.

Apart from that, you can to buy all kinds of dried fish crackers around. Make sure you heat them lightly under sun before begin deep frying them. Otherwise they won't expand and will definitely taste rock hard.

There are thousand and one thing on sale at the road side - Boiled Corn, Nira Kelapa (fermented coconut juice), Nira Nipah (Fermented Nipah Juice), Dry seafood (squid, salted fish), Durian, Mangosteen ... so much so I have a feeling if I buy from everyone of them, I would be very full by the time I reach home!

When we drove home, we happened to pass by Terengganu. While most stalls sell the Keropok Lekor, Losong, you can chance upon few that sell this delicacy known as "SATA"

Essentially it is minced fish meat mixed with grated coconut and be wrapped with banana leave. Then they are left BBQed on the charcoal stove will perfection. It taste a little like the otak-otak (Amok in Cambodia; Hor Mok in Thai), but mostly it is more chewy like a fingerfood. Yum!


WMW trip can be read at:
http://ugwug.blogspot.com/2007/01/kota-bahru-food-trip-pt-1.html

Things to do here in Kota Bharu

Most people just came here, so they can head straight to Kuala Besut then to Perhentian Islands. In fact I think, the foreigner actually appreciate what Kelantan has to offer more than Malaysians.

A lot of them came stay few days, get ushered to eat with Malay family, learn stuffs like : Kite making factory, keropok making factory, batik factory, serunding factory. Mostly of cottage industry. But who cares, it is their frequent visit that makes small medium industry thrive, erm... somewhat I guess.

For us, it is mainly eating, sleeping, erm... roaming around the Malay village checking out local cultures. Sunset is usually not our thing, but there's seaside and river front everywhere here, so we hang around for sunset too.

Mark was very keen in looking for his WWII bunker left when the Brits fought the Japanese in 1941. Happily he took pictures with it. Heh...

Some days we hang around at the Pantai Cahaya Bulan (PCB Beach), finding it too hot at the sea mostly calm and without too much breeze. So, we mostly return at night to drink at the Malay food stalls at the seaside (erm, not too clean a place, too sandy)

One of those days we were there, we drove all the way to the border town -- Tumpat, only to find it is mostly quiet there. We dare not cross the border after those recent terrorist news been frequent on the newspaper.

Along the way, there's a new place name Pantai Sri Tujoh. It look like a man made sand bunk to us. This creates a rather scenic lagoon at the inside near the mainland. Many family brought their children here for a swim. Some students came around camping too, in bus loads though.

If you hang around up north, then of course you shouldn't miss the Thai temples. And usually some Thai people hangs around there, selling drinks and some authentic Thai food as well. But they usually speaks Hokkien, and a little Malay to the customer. Quite interesting.

The day we were there, it was such good weather. The sun so bright with very very blue skies. Blending with the paddy fields, river view... my my... I feel somewhat out of this world. Heh...

Our drive back was not bad as well. Along the way we were greeted with some nice coastline. Then arriving at Kerteh in Terengganu and be greeted by the Petronas Refinery. They look magnificent in the night so brightly lit up.

Perhaps we will come back here again some day. Till then, I will sleep dreaming the blue skies and the green paddy fields of Kota Bharu. Cheers!

All the photos that I've take from this trip is located at Flickr here:

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/danachow/sets/72157601680115253/

A Weekend Getaway at Pasir Belanda

Perhaps the other sweet surprise we stumbled upon is this nice village lodging in the mid of a Malay Village.

We arrived rather late that night, and was getting a little anxious when we drove through the dark small bumpy roads into the deep village setting. Surprisingly when we were greeted by few sturdy looking wooden house with warm garden lights in the background.

The place is run by a Dutch couples - Harry Mulder mostly run the show. They bought over the place some years ago and built a paradise out of it, inviting people like me that've never stayed in Malay Kampung (Village) to have glimpse of Kampung life there.

The room is very clean and well maintained. The air-cond is very cold too in the mid of night. There's good basic bread an egg breakfast served in the morning, right next to a picturesque river.

We get a lot of extras bundled with our stay here. Apart from curious kids wandering around, and endless motorcyclist riding without helmets, there were goats, chicken, cows, ducks fighting for their right of way in the narrow roads here too. If you look keen enough, there is this house nearby that let their horses roam free around in the middle of the night!

Bugs are all over as well...

Found this curious 6 legged spider been hanging around in toilet for the past two days...

Mostly it is very quiet here, and breeze around seemed cooler than in city. There is a small scale duck farm just right across the road, and you get a lot of quacks all throughout the day. Quite often the smells get across too, resulting a need to stop breathing on a off.

But you know... that is what village life all about right, getting right down to the basic.

Harry is a very helpful and friendly person. We managed to get this map to ride around the kampung area, checking out a WW2 bunk hidden deep in there, and then right across a lagoon filled with colorful fishing boats. You should ask that from him too if you are ever visiting him.

More info of Pasir Belanda is as listed below:

Pasir Belanda Resort & Travel Sdn Bhd
Kampung Bonggol, PCB Road,
15350 Kota Bharu,
Kelantan, Malaysia
Tel : +6 09 747 7046
Email : ha2002@myjaring.net
website: http://www.kampungstay.com

Yawn! Just came back from Kota Bharu, Kelantan

Man... this is just too long a journey for both of us. But nonetheless we really liked what Kota Bharu, and Kelantan as a whole has to offer.

Got to stay in a nice place (see pics below). It's located in mid of a typical Malay village. Our neighbours consist of goats, cows, ducks, chicken, and even two horses that seemed roaming free around!

Check it out here!

• A Weekend Getaway at Pasir Belanda
• Things to do here in Kota Bharu
• Kota Bharu Food Hunt
• Kota Bharu Town Map 2007
  

The pics for this trip are at here:

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/danachow/sets/72157601680115253/

Videos of Puppies

Was rather relax today on a Sunday afternoon, decided to catch up on things around the house. Then found this cute shitzu puppies videos somewhere deep in the hard disk. Decided to play with it by uploading to YouTube for the first time. Enjoy!

Melodi - 林宇中 ft Sheila Majid

(S)
Kau melodi yang indah menusuk di jiwa
Tanpamu hidup ku tak bermakna

(宇):
多麽实在的感觉
duo me shi zai de gan jue
望著你的脸 这一刻
wang zhe ni de lian zhe yi ke
我到了被人遗忘的永远
wo dao le bei ren yi wang de yong yuan

(S):
Pertemuan yang tanpa di duga

(宇):
像迷路的人找到回家的路线
Xiang mi lu de ren zhao dao hui jia de lu xian

(S):
Engkau bak lagu dan aku bagai irama

(宇):
Bersatu kita mewarnai hidup bersama

(S):
Tanpamu hilanglah nadi kita berdua

(宇):
Menderita tiada haluan

(合):
窝在我心里最动听的 melodi
wo zai wo xin li zui dong ting de melodi

• Download here

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My thoughts:

I feel warmth in my heart when I listen to this song. Somehow this song reminds me a lot of multiracial couples out there that fight against all odd to be together. Fighting against family objection, fighting strange look from the society they were used to.

It also reminded me there was once this Chinese guy I know. He was willing to sacrifice himself for the Malay girl he wished so much to share his life with. If I am not wrong, they are happily married despite strange look from the outside world.

If you are in my shoe, and you will know finding the true love in this world is hard, what more of sharing life together with one that was born in a different culture all together. Therefore, if we are able to be in love today, then we should always be glad there is this person in our live even after many years to come.

Pictures Tell The Story - *SNIFF*

Wonder what really happen... perhaps someone has got a write up?

Counting down to Merdeka - Patriotism ?

In reality, these days I am not too sure anymore if I am THE kind of patriotic person in regular politicians' view. While most of the time I thought a lot about racism stuffs, and why things happens this and that, corruptions, low class building structures, etc. On the other hand, I do consider myself loving this country in my way. I pay my income tax on time (through internet summore), I hardly runs into getting a traffic summonce, I never litter wherever I go to and I look down on those that do it.

When there are new tourist attractions came up by our dear government (that I find squandering poor tax payers' $$ half the time), I usually try to be the first one to find out if people from our country could actually develop something that we can feel proud and fond of for a long period of time. Take our Putrajaya for example, I was there, when most of people still were wondering how to get there. And also last year's Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Fair (MAHA), was already there on Day-2, fighting a parking spot with Chui Li. Earlier this year, I proof my undying curiousity by popping at the highly isolated Felda's hotspring in Sg. Klah.

Thus, I don't just say I am patriotic for nothing really...

As compare to people like this:

... I really not sure how patriotism measures up by sticking flags covering allover the car. Surplus, the owner was trying to show off by illegal parking at the busy junction in the middle of Brickfields.

But once I think a little deeper... that is actually very little point in talking about patriotism here because when we try to love our country more, in reality our country doesn't love us the same amount in return. For that, I won't really narrate any further as the topic has turn rather old, I felt these days (good example: May 13th ghost story, kih kih kih).

Then again the expert say: TRUE LOVE DOESN'T ASK FOR RETURN MARRR~

So I guess there you Malaysians go : Happy 50th Independence Day, Malaysia

Success Tips from Anthony Robbins - Meaningful

SUCCESS - "knowing the right people," "being in the right place at the right time," and "using the right tools" - Anthony Robbins.

1. Your career is not everything; your life is. But then, what is life without a career or a career without a life?
2. You are always on your own. Even if you work for a big company, you will always be on your own. Companies aren't people. They're things and they don't have feelings. If you are expecting the company to "take care of you or "do the right thing", you'll be often disappointed. There are no strong bonds in a company. No one cares more about your career than you do. Remember that, and don't expect the company to take care of you.
3. Certain jobs fit certain people best. You do have special gifts that fit you for some, disqualify you for others. Take time to assess your skills, temperament and aptitude in depth.
4. Careers are short-term. Your present job can end anytime, even if you own the company! Therefore, think short term. Don't take your present career for granted. Someone once described a consultant as a person who wakes up every morning unemployed. You should feel the same way. Wake up every morning feeling unemployed so that you'll appreciate your present job more and figure out what you're going to do next. Always have a "Plan B." (No kidding!!)
5. It's more important to be a "people person" than an "achievement-oriented person who always win at the cost of others. People skills are more important than technical skills. Even in technical jobs, you have to deal with someone. The average performer who are easier to get along with last longer in his job.
6. What you accomplish today will be your calling card tomorrow. Your accomplishments will determine your marketability. In marketing yourself, it's the results that count. A soccer forward who scores in every game is easier to market than one who doesn't. So make sure you're contributing something substantial and measurable every day. And make sure you keep a written record of your results, in case you forget!
7. If you lose your job, 80% of your marketing for a New position is already done. That's right. Your reputation, results, accomplishments, people skills, contributions, friendships are all a matter of record. If you've been a contributor, if you've been kind to others and easy-to-work-with, you'll be in better demand. If not, you won't. Nobody can create friendship for you if you haven't created it for yourself.
8. Changing fields, industries, and functional specialties is difficult. The more difficult it is, the bigger the change will be. Therefore, choose your career path carefully. As management expert Peter Drucker says, "The best way to predict the future is to plan it."
9. If you're fired or laid off, don't sue your former employer. Ask yourself why you didn't see it coming; or if you did see it coming. Ask yourself why you didn't do something about it. Figure out your part in causing the problem. Then set about creating a new, better life for yourself. There is a better life in four future.
10. Don't stay in a job you hate. Hating your job can kill you.
11. Success is difficult. If success were easy, everyone would be successful.
12. There's a special place for everyone. You can create the kind of future you want.
13. The workplace is fun and challenging. It can also be cruel and heartless. It rewards effort and planning, but tends to punish indifference and lack of preparation. Those who don't manage their careers, who just let things happen - often end up in painful, dead-end jobs and lifestyles.
14. You are in full control of your own future. No one can deny you a happy life if you decide to plan it and work for it. No one can stop you from becoming successful, but yourself.
15. It's never too late for a new beginning.
16. Align yourself with winners. Hang around with winners. Success really does rub off from others. "If you keep doing what you have always been doing, you're going to get what you've always gotten"

At Esplanade Singapore

Came here earlier on two weeks ago, brought some customers together as we attended the conference in Singapore here.

Been here so many times, but have never thought of taking a night scence around here. Come to think of it, Singapore night skyline is actually not bad when comparing to places like Hong Kong, erm, Beijing, Bangkok, Sydney, Melbourne. But I guess the Singaporean have no choice but make space for such scenic skyline with tall buildings at such small area of land.

On the other side of the cove, the Merlion sit quietly doing its work by being the fountain. It seems that it had a shower + good scrub not so long ago, as the algae at the spout began to stain its nice white paint. Wonder if it enjoys being clean all over again... heh...

So, here comes the tricky question for the day: Where is the other large Merlion statue sitting at? (Clue: Somewhere in Singapore)